I'm surprised they didn't start with some something more disposable, like a woman. I'm sorry, but it just shocks me that a society can make this kind of technological achievement and still treat some humans as second class citizens.
Monkey weighs a lot less. And getting into space, that's a good thing.
Why is it illegal to unlock a smartphone? Because unlocking a phone requires making changes to its firmware – software that is copyrighted and owned by your carrier – which would be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
IANAL, but I'm confused. I thought the "point" of the DMCA was to crack down on copyright violations.
Don't let the word "copyright" in the "fancy" title of a bill that Congress passed confuse you -- only a small part of the DMCA had anything to do with copyrights. Its also about service and licensing controls, both of which unlocking phones are related to. Phones are locked for two reasons -- subsidies, and exclusive licensing agreements. That's why, once out of contract, virtually every phone in the US can be unlocked -- except those under carrier exclusivity agreements. The iPhone went from "no, we won't unlock it" to "sure" once ATT lost its exclusivity. Every other phone (for the most part) works the same way.
The problem isn't the legality, or illegality of unlocking in the US (IMHO)... its that people are pissed about carrier exclusivity and the culture of universal subsidies has made it such that virtually no one in the US offers lower priced service for BYOD.
Why give Microsoft access to your computer, which in turn gives access to the NSA, Chinese, Indians and whom ever else has placed backdoors in there. And no matter what OS you use, every time you open your Browser you give limited data to whatever Website you browse. Your Information isn't safe, anywhere.
Except, of course, the GP's point happens all the time and yours is imaginary whackjobbery.
I voluntarily simplified by equating XBox with the E&D division but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Actually Microsoft has made an effort to prop up E&D's financials by moving profitable activities under its umbrella. For example, the Mac Business Unit, which makes most of its money by selling Office for Mac reports under E&D.
A voluntary simplification that turns the resulting conclusion around exactly backwards. That's not a simplification, that's just spinning facts to fit a position you already had.
I don't think they'll release a Windows 8 Classic because there'd be no difference between it and Windows 7 (other than having removed Media Center.)
Most of the improvements in Windows 8 are under the covers. The GP is wrong, because Metro really has virtually no impact day-to-day on anyone (its a big start menu, nothing more...) But kernel, memory management, filesystem, and management changes make Windows 8 an absolute no-brainer to any IT organization that actually understands the differences.
Microsoft's challenge will be educating people on those, though.
Imagine that. A computer priced at around $2000 outselling one priced close to $10000. I guess it wasn't all gold paved sidewalks, peace and free love back then.
Even more significantly -- that's about $24k in 2012 dollars.
The ones that use ionizing radiation are going away. Which I thought was the major health complaint here.
I don't care if you see my balls, but I would like to prevent my thyroid condition from getting any worse. What exactly is the rational objection to millimeter wave? Just the slow down at the airport? Or the cost not being worth it?
And, as someone who travels a lot, its a huge benefit just because the old ones were both dangerous, useless AND slow. At least the new ones are safe(r), and fast(er), if still as useless.
I *always* used to get them, now, I don't since I started doing this about 7 years ago. Not once.
That's faith, not science.
I'd quote the rest of the items in your post, every single one of which was ridiculously incorrect, but... yeah, hardly seems worth it. Hopefully there isn't anyone else teetering on the edge of being a moron on Slashdot who reads any of it and follows you down that rabbit hole, though.
That's actually a half-truth; I get them every three or four years to see if the same thing happens (oh boy). Every time I get a flu shot (here it comes), I get sick.
Sing with me: "IT'S NOT AN ACTIVE STRAIN! YOU CAN'T GET SICK FROM IT...MORON!"
Actually, the correct statement is "its not an active strain, you can't get influenza from it". You will not get a self-replicating, contagious herd of viruses from getting the flu shot. That said, the whole intent of a vaccine is to trigger an immune response. If you don't get an immune response, its not a vaccine. So its "normal" to have "some" issue from them. Soreness, localized fever, etc. If you have a particularly aggressive immune system, you can get stronger symptoms (that's the ironic thing about immune systems -- the stronger it is, the stronger your symptoms of a disease are but the less likely it'll kill you...)
If you consistently have the problem, its also possible you are allergic to something in it. Have you tried one of the other types?
In either case, getting vaccinated -- even if you have some reactions to it -- is just taking one for the team. A very large part of why its so important to get immunized when vaccines are available isn't because its going to keep you from getting the disease. You're likely a healthy adult and you might, once in a while, get knocked on your ass and feel like crap and get over it. But very young children can't get the vaccines and can be killed by a lot of these diseases. You getting vaccinated means you can't give it to them.
That's why I get it. Everyone who dies from influenza every year got it from someone else. Bet they'd wish that someone else had gotten a dose, too...
You act like everyone is really sick. Facts are there are morons who abuse the system because they don't want to go to work, and as a result everyone is punished for it. Those people force businesses to write Draconian sick day policies.
That's an easy fix -- you fire the abusers. I've done it before, and I'll do it again I'm sure.
I've found firing people who abuse the system tends to help morale quite a bit in an organization. Highly encouraged.
1) Why would you be poking at the screen if you're using a desktop computer in traditional desktop computer ways? Stupid is as stupid does. Don't be stupid 2) If you're using a laptop, the touch screen in a few inches away, and is actually less work to reach than a mouse. 3) If you're using a large form-factor screen for a touch-like activity, odds are (like any designer using pen input screens, as they have for two decades) the screen is either flat to the work surface, or close to it.
So the article is basically saying that its uncomfortable to do something you'd be a moron to do in the first place? Got it.
It seems to me to be a retarded description, like calling infinity + 1 a negative number.
They need to use a proper name for it, not something that only makes sense if your the kind of person that likes to say things in such a way that no one else understands what you mean just so you can claim its technically correct with a smug attitude.
Just means the computers the Matrix is running on happen to use signed values.
Seriously? All of that sample size of 200 have tablets? Not just large phones or ebooks? I have friends who work for Apple who don't even have a tablet. I've never seen one used in a meeting but I do see lots of laptops and phones.
I may up the number I had. I do suspect I have some relatives who have some, I just never see them use it. Some mid managers got ipads when new but I don't see them using them anymore.
That means PC sales aren't doing fine, not that Windows 8 isn't doing fine. In fact, that sort of a drop makes perfect sense -- Windows 8 was cheap and runs very nicely on existing PCs. The problem isn't Windows 8, its that PC manufactures are struggling (and have been for years) to justify the constant upgrade cycle. Until my photo library ticked over 400GB, my six year old laptop worked fine for me. I had to get a new PC when I needed more storage space than a laptop would handle. But for most people? If you don't need the latest-and-greatest, why would you have bought a new PC in the last five years?
40 million Windows 8 licenses sold in the first few weeks were 40 million people who didn't need to buy a new PC. That's a win for Microsoft, and a fail for the PC makers.
And still I only know two people with a tablet in real life, and they don't use them as computer replacements.
Well, if we're going to toss out meaningless data points, I'm not sure I know anyone above the age of 10 and under, say, 70, or so, who doesn't have one. Certainly no one I interact with regularly -- say a sample size of 200. And, if you included e-readers, most of them have two.
I'm not sure any of them use them as a computer replacement, except maybe at the very upper end of that age range (where they didn't have computers, or had ancient ones).
Microsoft keeps saying uptake is higher than Windows 7 was.
Of course, one statistic is based on some non-random sampling of websites without correcting for market bias, and the other are legally controlled statements of sales in a public company. Only the PC makers are reporting a sales slump... because Win8 makes existing hardware work better and people just don't need a new PC.
But yes, by all means lets get Slashdot's ad impressions up by having yet another anti-Microsoft story! I'll get it started: I hear Steve Ballmer's kids prefer to use an iPad Mini!
I don't agree with you. My personal experience screams loud and clear you are simply wrong. Your "work experience" doing little hacks for your uncle's groceries shop simply doesn't counts.
You have every right to disagree with me, however you should avoid the immature response of both assuming you know who you're talking to on the Internet and what their experience is compared to your own, and the erroneous assumption that your experience translates into anything relevant in the real world.
And, to my original point, unless you think you know software engineering management better than the people who do so very successfully in the largest software companies in the world, your point that he original poster couldn't possibly be a senior level engineer is just plain wrong. Maybe you don't see it in the circles you run in, but claiming something can't happen because you believe it can't -- even when all the evidence says the exact opposite -- is just ignorant.
I am a 26 year old Senior Software Engineer at IBM. If you have the right skills, experience, and mind, age doesnt matter so much as results. Ageism happens on both ends of the spectrum:)
*NO ONE* has the right experience at the age os 26.
You're wrong with this, on two counts. I've known more than a few people who were in their mid to late 20's who had ten years of professional software development experience behind them, including a few who were leads over teams of a half dozen engineers. If you can be a solid team lead, that's justifiable calling someone "senior".
The other problem is that there are a lot of ways of defining "Senior", and you are assuming the one you're familiar with matches what his company is doing. Some companies (stupidly) equate seniority with title, or equate years of experience with title. Good companies (IBM, Google, Microsoft) don't do that -- its skill based, not years of experience. There are LOTS of senior engineers in that age range at Microsoft, for example. You don't get hired if you don't have the coding skills. Once you get the appropriate leadership skills, you get the title. And the title means something (not the least of which is a LOT of money). There's also a big difference across the industry related to "senior" -- how many "levels" does the organization have? The two key factors, in my experience, is if "Principal" is the highest title in the engineering track, and if there's a level between "entry level" and "senior". If there's a title above Principal, it tends to skew the expectations of "Senior" downwards, as does the lack of a title between "Software Engineer" and "Senior Software Engineer".
Personally, I always peg the "senior" line at "influences and leads within the team they are on".
Slashdot Mirror
I'm surprised they didn't start with some something more disposable, like a woman. I'm sorry, but it just shocks me that a society can make this kind of technological achievement and still treat some humans as second class citizens.
Monkey weighs a lot less. And getting into space, that's a good thing.
Why is it illegal to unlock a smartphone?
Because unlocking a phone requires making changes to its firmware – software that is copyrighted and owned by your carrier – which would be a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
IANAL, but I'm confused. I thought the "point" of the DMCA was to crack down on copyright violations.
Don't let the word "copyright" in the "fancy" title of a bill that Congress passed confuse you -- only a small part of the DMCA had anything to do with copyrights. Its also about service and licensing controls, both of which unlocking phones are related to. Phones are locked for two reasons -- subsidies, and exclusive licensing agreements. That's why, once out of contract, virtually every phone in the US can be unlocked -- except those under carrier exclusivity agreements. The iPhone went from "no, we won't unlock it" to "sure" once ATT lost its exclusivity. Every other phone (for the most part) works the same way.
The problem isn't the legality, or illegality of unlocking in the US (IMHO)... its that people are pissed about carrier exclusivity and the culture of universal subsidies has made it such that virtually no one in the US offers lower priced service for BYOD.
Why give Microsoft access to your computer, which in turn gives access to the NSA, Chinese, Indians and whom ever else has placed backdoors in there. And no matter what OS you use, every time you open your Browser you give limited data to whatever Website you browse. Your Information isn't safe, anywhere.
Except, of course, the GP's point happens all the time and yours is imaginary whackjobbery.
"... Megaupload, Mega's preprocessor."
I expect this means "predecessor". The editors are actually paid in money to click "submit" without reading or understanding the articles?
Your reply generated another ad view.
The editor's job was done.
I voluntarily simplified by equating XBox with the E&D division but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Actually Microsoft has made an effort to prop up E&D's financials by moving profitable activities under its umbrella. For example, the Mac Business Unit, which makes most of its money by selling Office for Mac reports under E&D.
A voluntary simplification that turns the resulting conclusion around exactly backwards. That's not a simplification, that's just spinning facts to fit a position you already had.
I don't think they'll release a Windows 8 Classic because there'd be no difference between it and Windows 7 (other than having removed Media Center.)
Most of the improvements in Windows 8 are under the covers. The GP is wrong, because Metro really has virtually no impact day-to-day on anyone (its a big start menu, nothing more...) But kernel, memory management, filesystem, and management changes make Windows 8 an absolute no-brainer to any IT organization that actually understands the differences.
Microsoft's challenge will be educating people on those, though.
Windows 8 is selling VERY well.
New PCs with Windows 8 are what isn't selling well... because, you know... it works great on existing PCs.
That's a Lenovo, HP and Dell problem, not a Microsoft problem.
Imagine that. A computer priced at around $2000 outselling one priced close to $10000. I guess it wasn't all gold paved sidewalks, peace and free love back then.
Even more significantly -- that's about $24k in 2012 dollars.
Openmoko opened the CAD models of their case (ok, not the coolest case in the world :-) ). People have also modified the design for 3d printing http://blog.slyon.de/3d-printed-gta04-case/ . There is also a wooden case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_jRI7InTpE
Not quite the same thing... Nokia's design isn't for a phone case, its for a replacement back panel. The summary on the article is wrong.
The ones that use ionizing radiation are going away. Which I thought was the major health complaint here.
I don't care if you see my balls, but I would like to prevent my thyroid condition from getting any worse. What exactly is the rational objection to millimeter wave? Just the slow down at the airport? Or the cost not being worth it?
And, as someone who travels a lot, its a huge benefit just because the old ones were both dangerous, useless AND slow. At least the new ones are safe(r), and fast(er), if still as useless.
Bungie is owned by Microsoft.
No, they aren't. And haven't been for years. And if you think 343 would share code with MSR for that, you're high as a kite.
I *always* used to get them, now, I don't since I started doing this about 7 years ago. Not once.
That's faith, not science.
I'd quote the rest of the items in your post, every single one of which was ridiculously incorrect, but... yeah, hardly seems worth it. Hopefully there isn't anyone else teetering on the edge of being a moron on Slashdot who reads any of it and follows you down that rabbit hole, though.
That's actually a half-truth; I get them every three or four years to see if the same thing happens (oh boy). Every time I get a flu shot (here it comes), I get sick.
Sing with me: "IT'S NOT AN ACTIVE STRAIN! YOU CAN'T GET SICK FROM IT...MORON!"
Actually, the correct statement is "its not an active strain, you can't get influenza from it". You will not get a self-replicating, contagious herd of viruses from getting the flu shot. That said, the whole intent of a vaccine is to trigger an immune response. If you don't get an immune response, its not a vaccine. So its "normal" to have "some" issue from them. Soreness, localized fever, etc. If you have a particularly aggressive immune system, you can get stronger symptoms (that's the ironic thing about immune systems -- the stronger it is, the stronger your symptoms of a disease are but the less likely it'll kill you...)
If you consistently have the problem, its also possible you are allergic to something in it. Have you tried one of the other types?
In either case, getting vaccinated -- even if you have some reactions to it -- is just taking one for the team. A very large part of why its so important to get immunized when vaccines are available isn't because its going to keep you from getting the disease. You're likely a healthy adult and you might, once in a while, get knocked on your ass and feel like crap and get over it. But very young children can't get the vaccines and can be killed by a lot of these diseases. You getting vaccinated means you can't give it to them.
That's why I get it. Everyone who dies from influenza every year got it from someone else. Bet they'd wish that someone else had gotten a dose, too ...
You act like everyone is really sick. Facts are there are morons who abuse the system because they don't want to go to work, and as a result everyone is punished for it. Those people force businesses to write Draconian sick day policies.
That's an easy fix -- you fire the abusers. I've done it before, and I'll do it again I'm sure.
I've found firing people who abuse the system tends to help morale quite a bit in an organization. Highly encouraged.
Oh shit ... it out... and recycle it, duh.
1) Why would you be poking at the screen if you're using a desktop computer in traditional desktop computer ways? Stupid is as stupid does. Don't be stupid
2) If you're using a laptop, the touch screen in a few inches away, and is actually less work to reach than a mouse.
3) If you're using a large form-factor screen for a touch-like activity, odds are (like any designer using pen input screens, as they have for two decades) the screen is either flat to the work surface, or close to it.
So the article is basically saying that its uncomfortable to do something you'd be a moron to do in the first place? Got it.
It seems to me to be a retarded description, like calling infinity + 1 a negative number.
They need to use a proper name for it, not something that only makes sense if your the kind of person that likes to say things in such a way that no one else understands what you mean just so you can claim its technically correct with a smug attitude.
Just means the computers the Matrix is running on happen to use signed values.
Can we get a -1 Woosh modifier?
I propose no change to Karma, It just needs to be like a negative +1 Funny.
WTF, +1 Funny is a positive!
That site hasn't had an update since May, 2012?
captcha: impinges
Updating a website probably violates someone's patent.
Seriously? All of that sample size of 200 have tablets? Not just large phones or ebooks? I have friends who work for Apple who don't even have a tablet. I've never seen one used in a meeting but I do see lots of laptops and phones.
I may up the number I had. I do suspect I have some relatives who have some, I just never see them use it. Some mid managers got ipads when new but I don't see them using them anymore.
Yes, seriously.
No, it really isn't doing fine. Instead of the usual uptick in sales with a new Windows release, PC sales dropped 21% during the month after Windows 8 was released.
That means PC sales aren't doing fine, not that Windows 8 isn't doing fine. In fact, that sort of a drop makes perfect sense -- Windows 8 was cheap and runs very nicely on existing PCs. The problem isn't Windows 8, its that PC manufactures are struggling (and have been for years) to justify the constant upgrade cycle. Until my photo library ticked over 400GB, my six year old laptop worked fine for me. I had to get a new PC when I needed more storage space than a laptop would handle. But for most people? If you don't need the latest-and-greatest, why would you have bought a new PC in the last five years?
40 million Windows 8 licenses sold in the first few weeks were 40 million people who didn't need to buy a new PC. That's a win for Microsoft, and a fail for the PC makers.
And still I only know two people with a tablet in real life, and they don't use them as computer replacements.
Well, if we're going to toss out meaningless data points, I'm not sure I know anyone above the age of 10 and under, say, 70, or so, who doesn't have one. Certainly no one I interact with regularly -- say a sample size of 200. And, if you included e-readers, most of them have two.
I'm not sure any of them use them as a computer replacement, except maybe at the very upper end of that age range (where they didn't have computers, or had ancient ones).
Microsoft keeps saying uptake is higher than Windows 7 was.
Of course, one statistic is based on some non-random sampling of websites without correcting for market bias, and the other are legally controlled statements of sales in a public company. Only the PC makers are reporting a sales slump... because Win8 makes existing hardware work better and people just don't need a new PC.
But yes, by all means lets get Slashdot's ad impressions up by having yet another anti-Microsoft story! I'll get it started: I hear Steve Ballmer's kids prefer to use an iPad Mini!
I don't agree with you. My personal experience screams loud and clear you are simply wrong. Your "work experience" doing little hacks for your uncle's groceries shop simply doesn't counts.
You have every right to disagree with me, however you should avoid the immature response of both assuming you know who you're talking to on the Internet and what their experience is compared to your own, and the erroneous assumption that your experience translates into anything relevant in the real world.
And, to my original point, unless you think you know software engineering management better than the people who do so very successfully in the largest software companies in the world, your point that he original poster couldn't possibly be a senior level engineer is just plain wrong. Maybe you don't see it in the circles you run in, but claiming something can't happen because you believe it can't -- even when all the evidence says the exact opposite -- is just ignorant.
I am a 26 year old Senior Software Engineer at IBM. If you have the right skills, experience, and mind, age doesnt matter so much as results. Ageism happens on both ends of the spectrum :)
*NO ONE* has the right experience at the age os 26.
You're wrong with this, on two counts. I've known more than a few people who were in their mid to late 20's who had ten years of professional software development experience behind them, including a few who were leads over teams of a half dozen engineers. If you can be a solid team lead, that's justifiable calling someone "senior".
The other problem is that there are a lot of ways of defining "Senior", and you are assuming the one you're familiar with matches what his company is doing. Some companies (stupidly) equate seniority with title, or equate years of experience with title. Good companies (IBM, Google, Microsoft) don't do that -- its skill based, not years of experience. There are LOTS of senior engineers in that age range at Microsoft, for example. You don't get hired if you don't have the coding skills. Once you get the appropriate leadership skills, you get the title. And the title means something (not the least of which is a LOT of money). There's also a big difference across the industry related to "senior" -- how many "levels" does the organization have? The two key factors, in my experience, is if "Principal" is the highest title in the engineering track, and if there's a level between "entry level" and "senior". If there's a title above Principal, it tends to skew the expectations of "Senior" downwards, as does the lack of a title between "Software Engineer" and "Senior Software Engineer".
Personally, I always peg the "senior" line at "influences and leads within the team they are on".